Information processing methods, information processing systems, and programs

Abstract

There is room for improvement in obtaining information about group companies of a particular company quickly and at low cost. [Solution] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing method is provided that is executed by an information processing system. The information processing method extracts information indicating ownership relationships between companies from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies, and constructs a tree structure of group companies based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses evaluating the business creativity of a corporate group and outputting the evaluation result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is room for improvement in obtaining information on affiliated companies of a certain company at low cost and promptly.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an information processing method executed by an information processing system is provided. The information processing method extracts information indicating the ownership relationship between companies from the electronicized securities reports of each of a plurality of companies, and constructs a tree structure of affiliated companies based on the extracted information indicating the ownership relationship.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a client device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server device. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing performed by a server device related to the construction of a tree structure of group companies. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing related to the output of a tree structure, which is performed by a server device. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a screen for searching for group companies. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the group company search screen for Modification Example 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various features shown in the embodiments below can be combined with each other.

[0008] <Embodiment 1> 1. System Configuration Diagram Figure 1 shows an example of the system configuration of the information processing system 1000. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 1000 includes a server device 100 and a client device 110 as part of its system configuration.

[0009] The server device 100 and the client device 110 are connected via a network 150 so that they can communicate with each other. The network 150 includes a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), and the Internet, or any combination thereof. The network 150 includes wired networks and wireless networks.

[0010] Information processing system 1000 is a system that provides a service for listing group companies.

[0011] The server device 100 is a server device that provides the main functions of the information processing system 1000. The main processes described below are performed by the server device 100.

[0012] The client device 110 is a client device that displays screens as shown in Figures 7 and 8, which will be described later.

[0013] Here, the information processing system described in the claims may consist of multiple devices or of one device. If the information processing system described in the claims consists of one device, an example of such a device is a server device 100. If the information processing system described in the claims consists of multiple devices, examples of multiple devices include a cloud server composed of multiple server devices that provide the functions of server device 100, or server device 100 and client device 110, etc.

[0014] 2. Hardware Configuration (1) Hardware configuration of server device 100 Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of server device 100. As shown in Figure 2, the server device 100 includes, as a hardware configuration, a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a communication unit 230, and an internal bus 240. The control unit 210, the storage unit 220, and the communication unit 230 are electrically connected via the internal bus 240.

[0015] The control unit 210 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and controls the entire server device 100.

[0016] The storage unit 220 is any one of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a SSD (Solid Sate Drive), or any combination thereof, and stores a program, data used when the control unit 210 executes a process based on the program, and the like. The storage unit 220 is an example of a storage medium.

[0017] Examples of the data used when the control unit 210 executes a process based on a program include, for example, electronic securities reports of a plurality of companies (hereinafter, also simply referred to as securities reports), for each SaaS (Software as a Service) provided by the company itself, information on companies that have introduced the SaaS, data on the tree structure of a plurality of affiliated companies constructed, and the like. The data on the tree structure of affiliated companies is hereinafter also simply referred to as the tree structure of affiliated companies.

[0018] For example, the control unit 210 uses web scraping technology to acquire a plurality of securities reports published on each of a plurality of websites or web pages, and stores them in the storage unit 220 or the like. As another example, the control unit 210 may acquire securities reports of a plurality of companies from an electronic disclosure system operated by a predetermined institution such as EDINET (Electronic Disclosure for Investors’ Network), and store them in the storage unit 220 or the like. The control unit 210 may acquire not only securities reports for a single settlement period but also securities reports for a plurality of settlement periods, or may acquire securities reports for the latest settlement period.

[0019] The control unit 210 may acquire information on a company included in a securities report from the securities report and / or the company's website and / or a database of private companies with which it is affiliated, and store it in the storage unit 220 or the like. Examples of company information include, for example, the prefecture where the company's head office is located, the company's industry type, the number of employees, sales, the corporate number, and the like.

[0020] The control unit 210 acquires information on companies that have implemented SaaS from a predetermined system with which it is working (for example, the company's own management system), and stores the company information for each SaaS in the storage unit 220, etc.

[0021] In this specification, the data used by the control unit 210 when executing processing based on the program is described as being stored in the storage unit 220, but it may also be stored in the storage unit of another device that can communicate with the server device 100. The data may be stored in the storage unit of any device as long as the control unit 210 can access and / or retrieve it. By the control unit 210 executing processing based on the program stored in the storage unit 220, the functional configuration shown in Figure 4, which will be described later, and the processing of the flowcharts shown in Figures 5 and 6, which will be described later, are realized.

[0022] The communications unit 230 connects the server device 100 to the network 150 and manages communication with other devices.

[0023] Furthermore, the hardware configurations of the control unit 210, storage unit 220, and communication unit 230 are not limited to one. For example, multiple control units may be included in the server device 100.

[0024] (2) Hardware configuration of client device 110 Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the client device 110. As shown in Figure 3, the client device 110 includes, as a hardware configuration, a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, an input unit 330, an output unit 340, a communication unit 350, and an internal bus 360. The control unit 310, the storage unit 320, the input unit 330, the output unit 340, and the communication unit 350 are electrically connected via the internal bus 360.

[0025] The control unit 310 is a CPU or the like, and controls the entire client device 110.

[0026] The storage unit 320 is one of the following: HDD, ROM, RAM, SSD, etc., or any combination thereof, and stores programs, data used by the control unit 310 when executing processing based on the programs, etc. The storage unit 320 is an example of a storage medium.

[0027] In this specification, the data used by the control unit 310 when executing processing based on the program is described as being stored in the storage unit 320, but it may also be stored in the storage unit of another device that can communicate with the client device 110. The data may be stored in the storage unit of any device as long as the control unit 310 can access and / or retrieve it. The functions of the client device 110 are realized when the control unit 310 executes processing based on the program stored in the storage unit 320.

[0028] The input unit 330 is a device that inputs information to the client device 110 in response to the operator's operation. The input unit 330 receives operation input made by the operator. The operation input is transferred to the control unit 310 via the internal bus 360 as a command signal. The control unit 310 can, if necessary, perform predetermined control and / or calculations based on the transferred command signal. The input unit 330 may be included in the housing of the client device 110 or it may be externally mounted. For example, the input unit 330 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the output unit 340. When the input unit 330 is implemented as a touch panel, the operator can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. to the input unit 330. Instead of a touch panel, the input unit 330 can be a switch button, mouse, trackpad, keyboard, etc.

[0029] The output unit 340 is, for example, a display unit, which outputs (displays) information as a screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be operated by an operator. The output unit 340 may be included in the housing of the client device 110 or it may be externally attached. More specifically, the output unit 340 may be implemented as a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electron-Luminescence) display, or a plasma display. It is preferable that these display devices be used according to the type of client device 110.

[0030] The communications unit 350 connects the client device 110 to the network 150 and manages communication with other devices.

[0031] In this specification, a notebook PC (Personal Computer) is used as an example of a client device. However, the client device may also be a smartphone, tablet computer, desktop computer, etc.

[0032] 3. Functional Configuration Figure 4 shows an example of the functional configuration of the server device 100. As shown in Figure 4, the server device 100 includes, as a functional configuration, an extraction unit 410, a construction unit 420, an input receiving unit 430, a specification unit 440, an image generation unit 450, and an output unit 460.

[0033] The extraction unit 410 extracts information indicating inter-company ownership relationships from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies stored in the storage unit 220, etc. This information includes financial indicators and management indicators. Financial indicators include at least one of the following: shareholding ratios, transaction amounts, and interdependence on sales or profits. For the sake of simplicity, the specification assumes that financial indicators include all of these. Management indicators include at least one of the following: concurrent directorships, joint ventures, and technology partnerships. For the sake of simplicity, the specification assumes that management indicators include all of these.

[0034] The construction unit 420 constructs a tree structure of group companies based on the ownership relationship information extracted by the extraction unit 410. A tree structure is a data structure for hierarchically organizing and representing data. In a tree structure, the data branches out from higher-level data to lower-level data, much like the branches of a tree. Details of how the Construction Department 420 constructs the tree structure of the group companies will be explained later using the flowchart in Figure 5, etc.

[0035] The input receiving unit 430 receives the company name entered via a predetermined screen. The predetermined screen is generated by the control unit 210 in response to a request from the client device 110 and is displayed on the output unit 340 of the client device 110. An example of the predetermined screen is shown in Figure 7, which will be described later.

[0036] The identification unit 440 searches multiple tree structures stored in the storage unit 220, etc., based on the company name received by the input reception unit 430, and identifies the tree structure that includes the company with the received company name.

[0037] The image generation unit 450 generates an image that includes the tree structure of the companies identified by the identification unit 440.

[0038] The output unit 460 generates display data for the screen, including the image generated by the image generation unit 450, and transmits it to the client device 110. When the control unit 310 of the client device 110 receives the display data, it generates a screen including the image generated by the image generation unit 450 based on the display data, and displays it on the output unit 340.

[0039] 4. Information Processing The information processing of Embodiment 1 will be described below.

[0040] (1) Overview of the process The control unit 210 extracts information indicating ownership relationships between companies from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies, and constructs a tree structure of group companies based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships.

[0041] By performing this type of processing, information about group companies of a given company can be obtained quickly and at low cost.

[0042] (2) Details of the process Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing performed by the server device 100 related to the construction of a tree structure of group companies. In step S510, the extraction unit 410 retrieves digitized securities reports from multiple companies from the storage unit 220, etc. After the processing in step S510, the flowchart proceeds to the processing in step S520.

[0043] In step S520, the extraction unit 410 extracts information indicating inter-company ownership relationships from each of the multiple securities reports. As mentioned above, information indicating inter-company ownership relationships can be broadly divided into financial indicators and management indicators. Financial indicators include information on shareholding ratios, transaction amounts, and interdependence on sales or profits. Management indicators include information on concurrent positions held by officers, joint ventures, and technology partnerships. The extraction unit 410 may also search for predetermined words related to subsidiaries, etc., listed in the securities reports and extract sentences containing these predetermined words as information indicating inter-company ownership relationships. After the processing in step S520, the flowchart proceeds to the processing in step S530.

[0044] In step S530, the construction unit 420 constructs an inter-company network with companies as nodes and ownership relationships between companies as edges, based on the ownership relationship information extracted by the extraction unit 410. After the processing in step S530, the flowchart proceeds to the processing in step S540.

[0045] In step S540, the construction unit 420 constructs a tree structure of group companies based on the constructed inter-company network and the extracted information indicating ownership relationships. More specifically, the construction unit 420 identifies companies that are not owned by other companies in the inter-company network as root companies, based on the constructed inter-company network and the extracted information indicating ownership relationships. The construction unit 420 uses the identified root company as the parent node and repeatedly traces the ownership relationships to the child nodes, listing the directly connected companies, thereby constructing a tree structure of group companies. Furthermore, the construction unit 420, if there are instances in the inter-company network where the same company has different edge lengths, will keep the longer edge and delete the shorter one. For example, if a certain securities report lists B and C as subsidiaries of A company, and a tree structure is constructed with A → B and A → C company, but one or more other securities reports state that C company is not a subsidiary of A company but a subsidiary of B company (a grandchild company of A company), the construction unit 420 will keep the A → B → C company edge (an edge with length 2) and delete the A → C company edge (an edge with length 1). The construction unit 420 constructs a tree structure of group companies by performing such processing.

[0046] The securities report lists which companies are subsidiaries. The Construction Department 420 can identify parent and subsidiary companies and understand their parent-subsidiary relationships. Furthermore, the Construction Department 420 can identify parent and subsidiary companies based on the shareholding ratios listed in the securities report. In addition, the Construction Department 420 can identify which companies are consolidated, that is, which companies are parent companies and which are subsidiaries, based on the consolidated financial statements listed in the securities report. The construction unit 420 stores the constructed tree structure of the group companies in a predetermined storage area such as the storage unit 220. The securities report also contains information on which company is the parent company and which company is a subsidiary. The construction department 420 may use this information to identify the parent company, subsidiary, and subsidiaries, and to understand the parent-subsidiary and parent-grandchild relationships, etc.

[0047] Furthermore, the construction unit 420 may weight the edges based on the ownership relationship information extracted by the extraction unit 410. The construction unit 420 sets weights in stages, for example, assigning a weight of 5 if the shareholding ratio is 10% or more, a weight of 3 if it is 5% or more but less than 10%, and a weight of 1 for all other cases. This is because a higher shareholding ratio is considered to indicate a stronger relationship between companies. The construction unit 420 may also change the numerical values ​​of the staged shareholding ratios (10% or more, 5% or more but less than 10%, etc.) and / or the weight values ​​(5, 3, etc.) shown in the example above, depending on the size and / or industry of the target companies.

[0048] Furthermore, the construction unit 420 divides the transaction amount into certain intervals and assigns a weight to each interval. For example, the construction unit 420 assigns a weight of 6 if the transaction amount is 10 billion yen or more, a weight of 4 if it is between 5 billion yen and 10 billion yen, and a weight of 2 if it is between 200 million yen and 500 million yen. This is because the larger the transaction amount, the higher the degree of dependence between companies is considered to be. The construction unit 420 may also change the numerical values ​​of the stepped transaction amount intervals (10 billion yen or more, 5 billion yen or more and 10 billion yen or less, etc.) and / or the weight values ​​(6, 4, etc.) shown in the example above, depending on the size and / or industry of the target companies.

[0049] Furthermore, the construction unit 420 calculates, for example, the ratio of the mutual transaction amount to sales and sets weights based on that ratio. For example, the construction unit 420 sets weights in stages, such as assigning a weight of 5 if the ratio of mutual transaction amount to sales is 40% or more, a weight of 2 if it is 30% or more but less than 40%, and a weight of 1 if it is 10% or more but less than 30%. This is because a higher degree of interdependence is considered to indicate a stronger relationship between companies. The construction unit 420 may also change the ratio of mutual transaction amount (40% or more, 30% or more but less than 40%, etc.) and / or weight values ​​(5, 2, etc.) shown in the above example depending on the size and / or industry of the target companies.

[0050] The example shown illustrates how the construction unit 420 weights edges based on financial indicators, but the same applies to management indicators. The construction unit 420 may, for example, assign heavier weights to executives with a larger number of concurrent positions. The construction unit 420 may, for example, assign heavier weights to executives with a larger number of joint ventures, and / or heavier weights to executives with a larger investment in joint ventures. The construction unit 420 may, for example, assign heavier weights to executives with a larger number of technology partnerships, and / or heavier weights to executives with a longer technology partnership duration.

[0051] The construction unit 420 may calculate the edge weight based on the weights of each indicator if it has calculated the weights of several indicators (for example, shareholding ratio, transaction amount, number of officers holding multiple positions). The construction unit 420 may simply average the weights of each indicator, or it may adjust the weights according to a predetermined importance level.

[0052] The construction unit 420 may also remove edges whose weight is below a threshold (hereinafter also referred to as the edge threshold). By doing so, weak connections are discarded, and a network of group companies is obtained in which only stronger connections remain. The construction unit 420 may use a predetermined fixed edge threshold, or it may sort the weights of all edges in the network in ascending order and set the threshold to retain the top X (for example, 80) percent of edges. After the processing in step S540, the flowchart process ends.

[0053] The control unit 210 of the server device 100 can periodically execute the processes shown in the flowchart in Figure 5 to build the latest tree structure of the group companies.

[0054] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing related to tree structure output performed by the server device 100. As a prerequisite for starting the processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 6, the control unit 310 of the client device 110 accesses a predetermined URL in response to the operation of the operator of the client device 110, and displays a screen for searching group companies, as shown in Figure 7, on the output unit 340.

[0055] In step S610, the input reception unit 430 determines whether or not it has received input of a company name via the group company search screen 700 shown in Figure 7. Here, Figure 7 shows an example of a screen 700 for searching for group companies. The screen 700 for searching for group companies includes a selection area 710 for selecting the name of the company to be searched. The selection area 710 is an area where companies included in the group company tree structure generated by the flowchart process in Figure 5 can be selected. When a company name (company) is selected in the selection area 710, the input reception unit 430 determines that the input of a company name has been received. If no company name (company) is selected in the selection area 710, the input reception unit 430 determines that the input of a company name has not been received. If the input receiving unit 430 determines that it has received input of a company name, it proceeds to step S620 in the flowchart process. If it determines that it has not received input of a company name, it repeats the process in step S610.

[0056] In step S620, the identification unit 440 searches the storage unit 220 and other devices for a tree structure of group companies that includes the company name selected in the selection area 710 and identifies it. After the processing in step S620, the flowchart proceeds to the processing in step S630.

[0057] In step S630, the image generation unit 450 obtains the tree structure of group companies including the selected company name identified by the identification unit 440 from the storage unit 220, etc., and generates an image for screen display that includes the tree structure of group companies including the selected company name, etc., based on the tree structure of group companies including the selected company name, etc. After the processing in step S630, the flowchart processing proceeds to the processing in step S640. The image generated in step S630 is the image displayed in area 720 of the search results screen 700 for searching group companies.

[0058] In step S640, the output unit 460 transmits data to the client device 110 that includes a screen display instruction, including the image generated in step S630. The process in step S640 is an example of a process that outputs an image. When the control unit 310 of the client device 110 receives an image, it displays an image of the tree structure of the group companies in area 720 of the screen 700 for searching group companies. After the processing in step S640, the flowchart process returns to the processing in step S610.

[0059] As shown in Figure 7, the image of the group company tree structure displayed in area 720 includes information related to the company tree structure, specifically information indicating the relationship with the parent company. Examples of information indicating the relationship with the parent company include "Relationship with Parent Company" and "Details of Relationship with Parent Company (Excerpted from Securities Report)" shown in Figure 7. "Relationship with Parent Company" includes, for example, equity-accounted affiliates, equity-accounted companies, and consolidated subsidiaries. "Details of Relationship with Parent Company (Excerpted from Securities Report)" includes, for example, concurrent directorships, management control, outsourcing, concurrent directorships, and borrowing of funds.

[0060] Furthermore, information indicating the relationship with the parent company is either extracted from the securities report or generated based on information extracted from the securities report. An example of information extracted from the securities report is "Details of the relationship with the parent company (excerpted from the securities report)." An example of information generated based on information extracted from the securities report is "Relationship with the parent company."

[0061] In the tree structure image of group companies displayed in area 720, the information of the company selected in selection area 710 (company information 730 in the example of Figure 7) and the information of other companies are displayed in a way that allows them to be distinguished. Examples of how to display the information of the company selected in selection area 710 and other companies in a way that allows them to be distinguished include changing the font type, changing the font size, changing the text color, changing the background color, or displaying a background fill pattern. These are just examples, and any method is acceptable as long as the information of the company selected in selection area 710 and the information of other companies can be distinguished.

[0062] According to the process of Embodiment 1, information on group companies of a given company can be obtained at low cost and quickly.

[0063] (Variation 1) Modification 1 of Embodiment 1 will now be described. Configurations and processes not described in Modification 1 are the same as those in Embodiment 1. Modification 1 is included in Embodiment 1 and is not different from Embodiment 1.

[0064] Figure 8 shows an example of the group company search screen 800 in Modification 1. Compared to the group company search screen 700 in Figure 7, the group company search screen 800 includes a service name input area 810. When a service name is entered in the service name input area 810 and the search button 820 is selected, the image generation unit 450 of the modified example 1 generates an image that identifies which companies in the group company tree structure have implemented the service entered in the service name input area 810 and which have not, based on the entered service name, the tree structure of group companies displayed in area 720, and the information of companies that have implemented SaaS stored in the storage unit 220. As an example of displaying companies that have implemented the service and companies that have not in an identifiable manner, companies that have implemented the service are displayed with a mark (a star mark 830 in the example of Figure 7). The mark may also be a mark representing the service. Another example of displaying companies that have implemented the service and companies that have not in an identifiable manner is a string of characters indicating the service. These are just examples, and any form is acceptable as long as companies that have implemented the service and companies that have not implemented the service can be identified. The image displayed in region 720 of Figure 8 includes a tree structure configured to identify the companies that have implemented the specified service.

[0065] According to Modification 1, it is possible to quickly identify which companies within the group have implemented the selected service and which have not. Therefore, it is possible to market the service to companies within the group that have not yet implemented it.

[0066] As another example, the image generation unit 450 may generate images that can identify the top-level companies in the group company tree structure that have implemented the service entered in the service name input area 810, and the lower-level companies (subsidiaries of the top-level companies) that have not implemented the service. For example, in Figure 8, LEAN Holdings is the top-level company, with LEAN Global Co., Ltd. below it, and one level below LEAN Global Co., Ltd. are LEAN Systems Co., Ltd., LEAN Market Co., Ltd., LEAN Foods Co., Ltd., LEAN Real Estate Co., Ltd., and Sansan Group Co., Ltd. Also, for example, Sansan Foods Co., Ltd. and Sansan Real Estate Co., Ltd. are below Sansan Group Co., Ltd.

[0067] <Note> The product may be provided in any of the following embodiments. (Note 1) An information processing method performed by an information processing system, By extracting information indicating inter-company ownership relationships from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies, Based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, a tree structure of the group companies is constructed. Information processing methods. (Note 2) The information processing method described in Appendix 1, We accept the input of the company name. Based on the entered company name, search for multiple aforementioned tree structures and identify the tree structure of the company with the aforementioned company name. An image containing the tree structure of the identified company is generated, Output the aforementioned image. Information processing methods. (Note 3) The information processing method described in Appendix 2, The aforementioned image includes information related to the company's tree structure, including information showing its relationship with its parent company. Information processing methods. (Note 4) The information processing method described in Appendix 3, The information indicating the relationship with the aforementioned parent company is information extracted from the aforementioned securities report, or information generated based on information extracted from the aforementioned securities report. Information processing methods. (Note 5) An information processing method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 4, From the aforementioned securities report, financial indicators were extracted as information indicating ownership relationships between companies. The aforementioned financial indicators include at least one of the following: information on equity ownership percentages, transaction amounts, and interdependencies on sales or profits. Information processing methods. (Note 6) An information processing method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 5, From the aforementioned securities report, information on management indicators was extracted as information showing ownership relationships between companies. The aforementioned management indicators include at least one of the following: information on concurrent positions held by directors, information on joint ventures, and information on technology partnerships. Information processing methods. (Note 7) The information processing method described in Appendix 2, The aforementioned image includes the tree structure configured in a way that allows for the identification of companies that have implemented the specified service. Information processing methods. (Note 8) An information processing method described in any one of the appendices 1 to 7, Based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, an inter-company network is constructed with companies as nodes and ownership relationships between companies as edges. Based on the constructed inter-company network and the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, a tree structure of group companies is constructed. Information processing methods. (Note 9) The information processing method described in Appendix 8, Based on the constructed inter-company network and the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, companies not owned by other companies in the inter-company network are identified as root companies. The identified root companies are used as parent nodes, and the ownership relationships are traced back to the child nodes. By repeatedly listing the directly connected companies, a tree structure of the group companies is constructed. Information processing methods. (Note 10) An information processing system, An extraction unit that extracts information indicating inter-company ownership relationships from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies, A construction unit constructs a tree structure of group companies based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, An information processing system that includes this. (Note 11) It is a program, On the computer, A program for executing the information processing method described in any one of the appendices 1 through 9.

[0068] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Novel embodiments can be implemented in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Embodiments and variations thereof are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 100: Server device 110: Client device 150: Network 210: Control Unit 220: Storage section 230: Communications Department 1000: Information Processing System

Claims

1. An information processing method performed by an information processing system, By extracting information indicating inter-company ownership relationships from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies, Based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, a tree structure of the group companies is constructed. Information processing methods.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, We accept the input of the company name. Based on the entered company name, search for multiple aforementioned tree structures and identify the tree structure of the company with the aforementioned company name. An image containing the tree structure of the identified company is generated, Output the aforementioned image. Information processing methods.

3. The information processing method according to claim 2, The aforementioned image includes information related to the company's tree structure, including information showing its relationship with its parent company. Information processing methods.

4. The information processing method according to claim 3, The information indicating the relationship with the aforementioned parent company is information extracted from the aforementioned securities report, or information generated based on information extracted from the aforementioned securities report. Information processing methods.

5. The information processing method according to claim 1, From the aforementioned securities report, financial indicators were extracted as information indicating ownership relationships between companies. The aforementioned financial indicators include at least one of the following: information on equity ownership percentages, transaction amounts, and interdependencies on sales or profits. Information processing methods.

6. The information processing method according to claim 1, From the aforementioned securities report, information on management indicators was extracted as information showing ownership relationships between companies. The aforementioned management indicators include at least one of the following: information on concurrent positions held by directors, information on joint ventures, and information on technology partnerships. Information processing methods.

7. The information processing method according to claim 2, The aforementioned image includes the tree structure configured in a way that allows for the identification of companies that have implemented the specified service. Information processing methods.

8. The information processing method according to claim 1, Based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, an inter-company network is constructed with companies as nodes and ownership relationships between companies as edges. Based on the constructed inter-company network and the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, a tree structure of group companies is constructed. Information processing methods.

9. The information processing method according to claim 8, Based on the constructed inter-company network and the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, companies not owned by other companies in the inter-company network are identified as root companies. The identified root companies are used as parent nodes, and the ownership relationships are traced back to the child nodes. By repeatedly listing the directly connected companies, a tree structure of the group companies is constructed. Information processing methods.

10. An information processing system, An extraction unit that extracts information indicating inter-company ownership relationships from the digitized securities reports of multiple companies, A construction unit constructs a tree structure of group companies based on the extracted information indicating ownership relationships, An information processing system that includes this.

11. It is a program, On the computer, A program for executing the information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images